Uniguest, a global provider of connected
technology solutions for hospitality, entertainment, sports and other
industries, has acquired Volara, a PhocusWire
Hot25 Startup of 2021 that provides voice-based engagement software.
Financial terms of the acquisition
are not being disclosed. The entire Volara team will continue with Uniguest,
and Volara founder and CEO Dave Berger will become executive vice president of Uniguest’s
new voice division, which will maintain the brand name of Volara.
“In early 2016, we envisioned
voice-first technologies managing customer relationships across many commercial
properties. With that aim we focused on three requirements: robust customer
privacy protections, impenetrable security of client data and seamless
integrations into the technology ecosystem of each vertical where our solutions
were engaged,” Berger says.
Subscribe to our newsletter below
“Today, as the leading voice
assistant solution for hotels and senior living communities, I’m excited to
accelerate our growth in both our existing and new verticals as part of
Uniguest.”
Founded
in 2016, Volara’s software, which is hardware and platform agnostic, is used by
hotels to enable guests to request things such as in-room dining or extra
towels and to hear information on property services or nearby attractions. Additionally,
Volara is an authorized solution provider for Google Assistant’s Interpreter
mode, enabling 29-language translation through its system.
“We are very excited to add Volara to the Uniguest suite of
solutions, especially since it fits so well across the key industries our brands
operate in,” says Jeff Hiscox, Uniguest CEO.
“Voice creates contactless experiences, and we see it has a
big part in future technology, and by offering a secure and functional software
like Volara’s, we expect to see high adoption rates from current and new
customers alike.”
Nashville-based Uniguest also includes Touchtown, Tripleplay
and Janus Displays technology providers.
* Check out Berger's presentation at The Phocuswright Conference 2020.